Sonochemistry

Liquids exposed to high-intensity ultrasound can undergo acoustic cavitation. This phenomenon is typically seen as a cloud of bubbles forming in the vicinity of the ultrasonic source (e.g., ultrasonic horn) and heard as an intense hissing noise. Cavitation is the formation of low-pressure voids (a.k.a., vacuum bubbles or cavities) in the liquid, which grow, briefly oscillate and then asymmetrically implode with great intensity. Violent bubble collapse during cavitation causes extreme local temperatures (up to ~ 5,000 ^oC), heating/cooling rates (up to ~ 10 billion ^oC/sec) and pressures (up to ~ 1,000 atm), producing free radicals and giving rise to many sonochemical processes, such as transesterification (for biodiesel production), pollutant degradation, sterilization & pasteurization, crude oil desulfurization, some of which are described in the Case Studies and Application Reports, provided below.

Industrial Sonomechanics offers laboratory, bench, and industrial-scale, high-amplitude ultrasonic processors, suitable for a large variety of sonochemical applications. The processors are based on our patented Barbell Horn^® Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT), which makes it possible to maintain extremely high ultrasonic amplitudes at any scale of operation and, therefore, tremendously intensify sonochemical processes while making it possible to directly implement laboratory accomplishments in a production environment